The two-month long annual Mandalam-Makaravilakku pilgrimage season at Sabarimala came to a close with the ritualistic Guruti at Malikappuram on Monday.
The Ayyappa Temple continued to witness heavy rush on Monday too as hundreds of devotees from different parts of South India flocked to the forest shrine on the last day of the festival season.
Padipuja, Udayasthamanpuja, Ashtabhishekom and Pushpabhishekom were the important rituals performed at the Sannidhanam on Monday.
Temple chief priest, Kandararu Rajeevararu, assisted by head priest (melsanthi) E.N. Krishnadas Namboodiri performed the Padipuja at the Holy 18 steps.
The Ayyappa shrine was closed with the Melsanthi singing the sacred lullaby, ‘Harivarasanam, viswamohanam’.
The representative of the Pandalam Palace, Kerala Varma Raja, and Sabarimala Devaswom Executive Officer, V.S. Jayakumar, supervised the Guruti ritual.
The Melsanthi will open the Ayyappa shrine for a few minutes at 6.30 a.m. on Tuesday to facilitate the exclusive darshan for the royal representative before he returns to Pandalam.
The Thiruvabharanam will be taken back to Pandalam in a customary ceremonial procession later. e procession will halt at Laha Sathram
